SPRINGFIELD, MA – TalkersRadio, the “experimental” talk radio station launched last fall by TALKERS magazine to provide the industry with a “work out space” and “showcase for new talk programming concepts” has, according to its general manager David Bernstein, “hit the ground running” in 2014 with the announcement of several new hosts and shows scheduled to join its programming roster this month.

Radio Life Boat

Set for launch this weekend (1/12) is “Radio Lifeboat with DG & Mickey Gooch,” described by Bernstein as “a raw, emotion-packed ‘reality’ show that sure ain’t no cruise.” The one-hour-per-week program, emanating live on Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm ET from Malibu, California, is hosted by the mother/son team of Diane “DG” Gooch and her son Mickey Gooch.

Mickey Gooch is an aspiring young actor, comedian and writer recovering from the turmoil of years of life-threatening addiction to alcohol and a frightening variety of hard-core drugs. In and out of various rehab programs for years, Gooch has been “clean” now for almost nine months. With his life on the right track and displaying a new level of awareness and dedication, he plans to use this radio forum as a platform to provide information, support and inspiration to others caught in the grip of the hellish illness of addiction.

He is supported by his mother and co-host, Diane Gooch (“DG”) – a former New Jersey newspaper publisher and congressional candidate who is currently a principal in the Washington, DC-based Talk Radio News Service. DG tells TALKERS, “I am using this radio show as a therapeutic opportunity to help both me and my son deal with the trauma we have experienced through his ordeal with the hope that we are not only healing ourselves, but others as well.”

TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison says, “Diane Gooch is amazing on the radio. She has no qualms about discussing some of the most personal issues and expressing her emotions on the microphone which becomes a compelling experience for the listener.

The Gooches field questions from listeners about addiction as well as a no-holds-barred variety of personal issues drawing upon their own experience and an array of expert guests from the fields of counseling and psychology. It includes an ongoing dialogue between the two that according to Bernstein, is “candid, adult, raw and emotional – exuding a level of intensity and authenticity seldom heard on today’s radio.” Bernstein tells TALKERS, “This is a true ‘reality show’ that touches upon all the vital areas of life, not only addiction – plain and simple. The Gooches are surprisingly special! Their pilot test-run back in December was the best ‘first show’ I have ever heard.” Considering the extent of Bernstein’s long and illustrious career as program director of such stations as WOR, New York; WBZ and WRKO, Boston; WTIC, Hartford and WPRO, Providence… that is saying a lot!

Lionel

Also debuting this month (1/25) is a new program from Lionel – one of the most iconoclastic, impossible-to-peg, and intellectually stimulating talk show hosts of the modern era. A veteran of such major outlets as WABC and WOR, New York among others, as well as being a podcast pioneer at lionelmedia.com the quirky, satirical and extremely original observer of the human condition has been enjoying tremendous success conceiving, writing, producing and performing daily commentaries on the heritage WPIX-TV, Channel 11 for the past four years in New York City where the ex-prosecutor’s also added his insight and experience as its resident legal analyst. However, he has not forgotten his roots in and love for radio and promises that his 9:00 am to 10:00 am Saturday show will provide Lionel enthusiasts around the country with a version of his work that is “like nothing they have ever heard before. This will truly be Lionel unchained!”

Speaking of Stationality

When asked about the stationality of TalkersRadio, David Bernstein says, “Stationality? The coolest thing about TalkersRadio is its stationality is NO-STATIONALITY!” Bernstein continues, “We are being extremely mindful not to allow the image of the station to supersede its mission to be an experimental platform – a true ‘theater’ of the mind – to display individual hosts and programs free of the clutter of getting the call letters right, falling into a certain sound or mindset, or worse, political ideology. You won’t hear big-voiced announcers barking out the handle ‘TalkersRadio’ or hammering the listener with a stylized brand of imaging. Our imaging is no imaging. The station is a bare stage where the performances rule – warts, mistakes, ill-conceived ideas, and a ‘what-the-hell-let’s-give-it-a-shot’ attitude prevails.”

Michael Harrison adds, “The station’s ground environment sounds a bit like C-SPAN or the Discovery Channels did during their very early days. We actually have large gaps of a few minutes of buffer music between shows with a voice saying, ‘You are listening to TalkersRadio. Our next program will begin shortly.’”

Also, Bernstein points out the very technical means by which the station exists and operates on the internet is extremely experimental, lending itself to a relaxed attitude about the details of presentation. He states, “We are utilizing a revolutionary system designed by our partners in the project – Backbone Networks of Westborough, Massachusetts – that offers unbelievable flexibility to our hosts to be able to broadcast their shows from just about any remote location in the world with an internet connection easily and inexpensively. As a result, there have been a number of technical snafus and the need for mechanical tweaking during these last couple of months of our roll out – but all for the sake of a great cause… taking talk radio to new and unexplored levels on both the programming and technical sides. It has actually become part of the show.”

The Hard Question

Another program getting readied for launch on TalkersRadio in either late-January or early-February is “The Hard Question with Blanquita Cullum.” Hosted by veteran talk show host, Washington-insider, and former member of the United States Broadcasting Board of Governors, Blanquita Cullum, the one-hour-per-week show will cover the hottest and most-pressing economic, environmental and political issues facing the country from a non-partisan, non-ideological perspective. Cullum tells TALKERS, “I’ve been in this business too long to mess around playing the old right versus left game that is quickly getting us nowhere. It is time to get serious – especially having this marvelous platform upon which to perform – and dust off the old journalism skills. Just as the name implies, I will be asking big shots and policy makers from the worlds of energy, finance and government the hard questions. None of that easy, puff-piece stuff. This show is going to get down, dirty and real!”

Growing Roster

These shows and talent outlined above will be joining the already-developing, impressive roster of hosts and content that has been growing on TalkersRadio during its first few months of net-casting during the fall and winter of 2013.

Old-Fashioned Husband/Wife Chat Show that is not Old-Fashioned at All!

“The Brent & Meg Radio Show” is heard weekdays between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm ET. Emanating from Studio City, California, the program is hosted by the husband/wife team of legendary rock ‘n’ roll radio newsman Brent Seltzer (KMET, KGB and many more) and renown Southern California public relations wiz Meg McDonald (who is a “child of Hollywood” – the daughter of actress Elisabeth Fraser and song and dance man Ray McDonald and whose godmother is iconic actress Jane Wyatt).

Michael Harrison describes their show as “an old fashioned husband/wife chat show – the likes of which you no longer hear on the radio – but there is absolutely nothing ‘old fashioned’ about it!” Harrison proudly states, “Brent and Meg are absolutely terrific! They’ve been married over a quarter-century but never even thought about doing a talk radio show together – that is, until TalkersRadio came along. Over the past few months of doing their thing on a daily basis they have evolved into a dynamic duo of fantastic chemistry and content. I fully expect this informative, provocative and entertaining program to find a home on a big terrestrial station or network in the very near future. It is the kind of modern program that would fit any talk format and in my opinion would become an instant ratings winner with amazingly broad-range appeal. The development and emergence of a fresh, valuable property such as the Brent & Meg Show is what TalkersRadio is all about.”

Energy and Sustainability

“Green Connections with Joan Michelson” is a weekly one-hour magazine-style show focused on the green movement in industry and day-to-day living. The program runs on Saturdays at 3:00 pm ET with the tag lines “live green, work green, earn green” and ”making cleantech cool.” Its host and producer, Joan Michelson, is a highly respected and accomplished Washington, DC-based journalist who specializes in energy and sustainability. She serves as the green expert on WTOP, Washington and has a blog on the Huffington Post, in addition to a number of major media platforms. Describing the show, Michelson tells TALKERS, “We inform, engage, and connect people with the cool things and opportunities in energy and sustainability. Our stories range from politics and business, to jobs, gadgets, tips and the arts. I am very excited about bringing this groundbreaking show to such an innovative radio platform as TalkersRadio.”

David Bernstein says, “This entertaining and informative program is a radio show whose time has come. There is a huge information-hungry audience for this and potential advertisers are sprouting up all over the nation creating an exciting new arena of economic growth making it incredibly fertile for talk radio. Joan Michelson brings a personal likability as well as tremendous knowledge to the discussion. We are proud to be giving birth to and nurturing what promises to be a major broadcasting entity. This SO fits the mission of TalkersRadio.”

Broadcasting Veteran with Fresh, New Mission

“Healed Planet with Alan Colmes” is an experimental talk show conceived and hosted by Fox News Radio personality Alan Colmes and serves as a prime example of TalkersRadio carrying out one of its primary functions as a “laboratory/workout gym” for proven talk show hosts to test new concepts. The program airs live every third Sunday of the month between 8:00 pm ET and 9:00 pm ET and, as is the case with all programs on the station, with numerous repeat airings during the period between new installments. “Healed Planet with Alan Colmes” is an eclectic mix of science, metaphysics, unexplained mysteries, relationships, a small dose of politics and everything else rolling around the mind of Alan Colmes. According to Bernstein, “It is fun, fascinating, stimulating and informative for talk listeners to hear all the dimensions that make up the personality, creativity and interests one of the nicest and smartest guys in the business – beyond the paradigm of general news/talk radio and TV where – let’s face it – Alan is quite famous. And THAT is what TalkersRadio is all about!”

Record Producer and Urban Philosopher

The first person to do a show on TalkersRadio is one of the most accomplished record producers in the music industry today – Rob Stevens – who is known on the radio as Robbie Student.

“The Robbie Student Show” is a weekly two-hour program that currently airs Sunday evenings between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm live from the Bronx, New York. Robbie Student (like Lionel) is also an iconoclastic social observer not easily pegged into a typical talk radio format by today’s industry standards but as Michael Harrison points out, “His level of intellectual dot-connecting and pointing out the insanity of everyday events from the major news to neighborhood happenings is in a class of its own. This guy is a true ‘urban philosopher’ who brings everything he has to the radio show. He is an expert practitioner on pop culture, a dedicated parent, a critic of those in authority and a questioner of values. I consider him to be a great radio discovery whom we are proud to be have working out his craft on this fascinating station.”

The Talkers Show with Michael Harrison

Last but not least in the current line-up of TalkersRadio attractions is a daily one-hour-per-day program titled “The Talkers Show.” Airing weekdays between 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm ET, the show is hosted by TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison and features interviews with interesting players, movers and shakers from the talk media industry.

According to Harrison, “I haven’t had this much fun with a radio project since my earliest days in the business back on Long Island when we launched the progressive rocker WLIR-FM in 1970.”

Looking Ahead

According to station GM David Bernstein, there are a number of other hosts and programs being developed and under consideration for development on TalkersRadio. He says, “This will always be an evolving work in progress with new programs coming in and old ones going out. It is not about the station – it is about the people and shows using it to develop their skills and ideas as well as to give people in the industry looking for new things somewhat of a farm club resource.” Bernstein adds with a smile, “And it also seems to have accrued a growing legion of listeners from all over the world who get off on having access to such an insiders’ ‘backstage pass’ to really cool developments in the talk radio scene.”

Getting Involved

A lot of industry people have been asking David Bernstein how they can get involved with TalkersRadio. He says, “First of all, we are not offering ‘jobs’ for people looking to be hired to do shows. Nor are we something that can be considered a potential ‘affiliate’ for any existing syndicated programs. Everything on this station must be unique and original to this station. Beyond that we are looking for people with something to say or to offer the industry of value that need a place to develop their concepts and a showcase to display what they’ve got to an extremely sophisticated audience of industry decision-makers and talk radio afficiandos.”

For more information about TalkersRadio, call David Bernstein at 413-565-5413 or email him at david@talkers.com.

Kevin Casey is VP/Executive Editor of TALKERS. He can be called at 413-565-5413 or emailed at kevin@talkers.com.

Also debuting this month (1/25) is a new program from Lionel – one of the most iconoclastic, impossible-to-peg, and intellectually stimulating talk show hosts of the modern era. A veteran of such major outlets as WABC and WOR, New York among others, as well as being a podcast pioneer at lionelmedia.com the quirky, satirical and extremely original observer of the human condition has been enjoying tremendous success conceiving, writing, producing and performing daily commentaries on the heritage WPIX-TV, Channel 11 for the past four years in New York City where the ex-prosecutor’s also added his insight and experience as its resident legal analyst. However, he has not forgotten his roots in and love for radio and promises that his 9:00 am to 10:00 am Saturday show will provide Lionel enthusiasts around the country with a version of his work that is “like nothing they have ever heard before. This will truly be Lionel unchained!”